Was painted (black) always standard & chrome accesory? If you opted for the chrome cover was it included in some "dress up kit"? The parts book says painted covers were available 58-*, but I've never seen a -65 with a painted cover... Any ideas?Thanks Stefan.

epinut wrote:Was painted (black) always standard & chrome accesory? If you opted for the chrome cover was it included in some "dress up kit"? The parts book says painted covers were available 58-*, but I've never seen a -65 with a painted cover... Any ideas?Thanks Stefan.

I think you're right. The "Harley-Davidson Data Book" (MB-1996) lists 1964 as "First year - Chrome-plated primary chain guard" for the XLCH. Oddly, the factory-published book "The Legend Begins" doesn't mention it and shows an "official" photo of the '64 XLCH with a black primary cover. I can't find a listing for a chrome cover in ANY of the '60s H-D accessory catalogs, which surprises me as I remember seeing them hanging on dealer walls and in showcases during the latter half of the sixties. Guess they just ordered them out of the regular parts book from '64 -on.

You would think that "The Legend Begins", being a factory publication, would have correct information in it. Sadly the information in it was compiled by two in house employees that know nothing about vintage machines. The just put in the book what they found here and there, obviously without reading what they had in their hands. Take for instance the 1937 models. They state that there were two standard colors available in 1937, Bronze Brown and Teak Ted. This is the information that was first published for the 1937's in the New Model Announcement . However on the next page they print the 1937 Order Blank which clearly shows Bronze Brown, Teak Red, and Delphine Blue as being the standard colors. Also the production figures listed are calendar year production, not year model production. For instance for 1956 their figures actually show Jan-Dec 1956 production. This would be the last half of the 1956 models and the first half of the 1957's. The 1942 figures are a real mess. In the model listing a lot of models are simply not listed.